FDA Disapproves Avastin for Breast Cancer Use

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg sent a 69 page decision Friday, November 18, 2011, revoking approval for the breast cancer drug Avastin to be used. The Food and Drug Administration had found that the drug did more harm than good in a July 2011 report. Margaret Hamburg is quoted as saying ""As a doctor, as a woman, and as a parent, I recognize how frightening and difficult it is to receive the diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer and to begin preparing for what may be very trying times ahead. Selecting a treatment option is one of the most daunting and important challenges patients face". While the drug will still be available for other types of cancer treatment, it will not be approved for use in breast cancer patients.

Avastin typically costs women nearly $100,000 a year. For the moment, both Medicare and the makers of Avastin will be able to foot the bill for the drug for those that meet eligibility requirements. It is generally a colon cancer drug, winning approval in 2008 for breast cancer use even though studies were unsure whether it increased life expectancy or quality of life.

According to the LA Times report, some of the side effects of the drug include bleeding, heart attack, and high blood pressure. Genentech, makers of Avastin, were noticeably disappointed with today's FDA ruling.